Academy invites 276 new members

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 276 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2013.

“These individuals are among the best filmmakers working in the industry today,” said Academy President Hawk Koch. “Their talent and creativity have captured the imagination of audiences worldwide, and I am proud to welcome each of them to the Academy.”

Christopher Townsend – “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “The Day after Tomorrow”

Stephan Trojansky – “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Hereafter”

David Watkins – “Ali,” “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”

Jeff White – “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”

Trevor Wood – “Prometheus,” “The Golden Compass”

Writers

Jessica Bendinger – “Aquamarine,” “Bring It On”

Reggie Rock Bythewood – “Notorious,” “Get on the Bus”

Tina Gordon Chism – “Peeples,” “Drumline”

Julie Delpy – “Before Midnight,” “2 Days in Paris”

Lena Dunham – “Nobody Walks,” “Tiny Furniture”

Ava DuVernay* – “Middle of Nowhere,” “I Will Follow”

John Gatins – “Flight,” “Coach Carter”

John Hamburg – “I Love You, Man,” “Meet the Parents”

John Lee Hancock – “Snow White and the Huntsman,” “The Blind Side”

Rian Johnson – “Looper,” “Brick”

Jeff Nichols – “Mud,” “Take Shelter”

Sarah Polley – “Take This Waltz,” “Away from Her”

Chris Terrio – “Argo,” “Heights”

Associates

Lorrie Bartlett

Paul Bronfman

Markham L. Goldstein

Robert Harvey

Gregory S. Laemmle

Sandra Marsh

Adam Schweitzer

Kimberly Snyder

Matthew L. Snyder

Les Zellan

Three individuals (noted above by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.

Each year Academy members may sponsor one candidate for membership within their branch. New member application reviews take place in the spring. Applications for the coming year must be received by March 20, 2014.

New members will be welcomed into the Academy at an invitation-only reception in September.

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I was about to go to sleep last night when I started wondering if it wasn’t time for the academy to invite new members soon. I turned on my computer and found out that last year the announcement was on the last friday in june, and so I figured that the new announcement would be today. I was right, and I also feel kind of sad now…

Armando

20+ years after taking home the Oscar: Prince

Alan of Montreal

Nice to see so many people of colour added this year, particularly in the acting branch. They also appear to have invited a lot of documentary filmmakers this year–guess they really want to make a change to the system. Nice to see some real newbies in the director’s list, too, such as Ava Duvernay and Kim Nguyen. Why does the former have an asterisk beside her name, though? Is it because she was invited to two different branches?

Well, if that was the case, they would have announced a draw. As long as it’s within three, it’s officially a draw, I believe. But had it been a lead of four, yeh, what a bummer. Dunno if Emmanuelle Riva would have voted for herself tho.

Sure that was what happened when Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tied. The Academy invited Barbra to join that year, despite not yet having starred in a film, and she won for her debut role, tying with Katharine. Maybe had she not been invited, Katharine might have won outright.

Nonsense. Was it last year or the year before that Jon Landau, the Oscar-winning producer of Titanic and Avatar was finally asked to join the Academy? Whereas Russell Brand never even had to be in contention for a nomination to be invited to join. The Academy had every fucking millisecond of its existence to invite Emmanuelle Riva. She’s older than AMPAS itself. And better.

Robert A.

Actually, to have a vote declared a tie these days, two contenders must have the exact same number of votes. Back in the thirties they had the “within three votes rule,” but they changed that rule long ago. That’s what makes the Hepburn/Streisand tie so legendary. They tied with the exact same number of votes. Streisand had been admitted as a member of the Academy that year, before Funny Girl was even released, which supposedly caused a little controversy at the time. So Streisand got to vote in the year she won, and it’s safe to assume she voted for herself. If they hadn’t “bent the rules” a bit and let Streisand be a member so soon, she would have lost to Hepburn by one vote.

I tried looking up my two favorite actors Val Kilmer and Benicio Del Toro. Neither came up but they could have been in before. But I can’t take the winning thing for granted in Benicio’s case either I guess. My 3rd favorite actor Sean Bean got in last year, but he’s super white. lol

Jpns Viewer

“Russell Brand was an Academy member before anybody thought to invite Emmanuelle Riva. Never forget.”

Talking about never-forgets: this very same institute that we most of us have always held dear, in fact also extended the invitation to such rare talents of note as* Seth Rogen, Mike Cera and Tyler Perry, to name a few. Something that makes you go Hmm hmm hmm hmm. . . indeed. . . .

Cyrus

So proud and happy for Jafar Panahi, my fellow countryman.

What saddens me is that he will never get this multiple pronged invite above given that he is in the most notorious prison in Iran, namely Evin prison.

Sending out a prayer and message of hope and freedom for Mr. Panahi one day.

🙁

Tony

At least JLaw was an Oscar nominee before she was invited into the Academy. (Yes, I realize that is not a prerequisite for membership.) A lot of the newly invited actors are mediocre at best.

Hawkeye

Milla Jovovich?!?! Wow, just wow. Having talent is obviously not a prerequisite. A couple of the directors are rather questionable too: Tim Story… Paul Feig…

Oh man, seeing Terrio’s name here just brings back the bad memory of the Academy’s embarrassing moment of giving the Oscar to him instead of Kushner (who joined in 2006).

Overall, aside from the few questionable choices, not a terrible list.

DBibby

Does anyone else find it strange that Ava Duvernay is invited to join the director and writer branches, yet Sarah Polley, Rian Johnson and Jeff Nichols are writers only?

So great reading the likes of Jafar Panahi, Agnes Varda, Steve McQueen and Prince (!) on this list

Tony, I agree about the shocking mediocrity of the actors. Start with the first name — Jason Bateman — has he really been all that important to the movie industry that he “deserves” membership in the Academy? Jump down to the last one — Chris Tucker — and despite being in an Academy Award winning film, his repertoire isn’t all that glowing.

Chris Tucker, new Academy member
Michael Fassbender, not an Academy member

Rob Y

It took how many years for Charles Grodin to get into the Academy?

Javier

I just love all this Riva love fest… You’re acting as if it was a travesty that she wasn’t invited ages ago, yet I’m sure that two years ago most of you didn’t even know who she was, or if you did,she was hardly one of your faves. Was she great in ‘Amour’? Yes, but enough with the JLaw bashing. She won the Oscar, she didn’t murder Riva.

Bryce Forestieri

yet I’m sure that two years ago most of you didn’t even know who she was

Really? no, really? The only thing that your comment suggest is that you didn’t which would explain the rest of you comment.

LÉON MORIN PRIEST fo’ eva

Zooey

And the invitation comes 10 years after her Oscar nomination!

Maybe they waited to see if they would make another film!

Zooey

The actors are either WTF – haven’t they been invited already? or WTF? they have no place being Academy members.

You’re acting as if it was a travesty that she wasn’t invited ages ago, yet I’m sure that two years ago most of you didn’t even know who she was

In 1959, Emmanuelle Riva starred in Hiroshima Mon Amour, directed by Alain Resnais — who was nominated for a DGA award that year.

The film was a sensation at Cannes and Riva was nominated for a BAFTA. The screenplay was nominated for an Oscar and Hiroshima Mon Amour won the New York Film Critics Award in 1960.

In 1962, Hiroshima Mon Amour was #11 on the Sight & Sound poll of the Greatest Films of All Time. It’s placed high on the poll every decade since.

It won the Fipresci International Critics’ Prize at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and probably would have won the Palme d’Or if it had not been excluded from the main competition (in fear of angering America during the Cold War about the topic of nuclear bombs).

Hiroshima Mon Amour is a monumental milestone in film history and Emmanuelle Riva is exquisite in it.

Javier, Instead of projecting your own lack of knowledge onto readers of this site who know a little more about film legends than you do, you should take time to watch more movies like Hiroshima Mon Amour instead of, say, X-Men First Class.

Luke

Are you guys ever happy?

Bryce Forestieri

WHITE HOUSE DOWN ★★★★
huge smile on my face right now XD

Bryce Forestieri

@Luke

The Great Dane

Wow, the Academy wants diversity. Great! 🙂 Unless you count Mila Jovovich as a white American actress, no white American actress was invited this year. And most of the male actors weren’t white Americans either. Good job – in 20 years we’ll probably be over the “old white guys” syndrome … unless all the tech guys don’t fill out those seats by then. 🙂

Watermelons

SOUND
Daniel S. Irwin – “Prometheus,” “Little Children”

I would be that doing the sound for a Kate “The Great” Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Iris) picture probably holds a lot of prestige with the inside crew over in Oscarland! And a hearty Congratulations to all new members!!

I thought that an individual had to be nominated to even be considered to be invited. (Though, PR executives/business suits might have a different process). So, Prince was awarded an Oscar 25 years ago and NOW is good enough to vote? What nominations/cinematic achievements have Jason Bateman, JLo, SandraOh, Lucy Liu, Rosario Dawson achieved. Charles Grodin has been around since the sixties and he’s now in the same class as these invitees?
Also – just wanted to check the voting inclusion/exclusion of Adele, Eminem, Bob Dyan, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Carly Simon, 3 Six Mafia and Annie Lennox. These individuals have gold compared to those listed above. Will they be ‘included’ by 2038?

Edi

With Jennifer Lopez as a voter, The Academy’s taste will improve……………………SAID NOBODY!!!!

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